


When We Fell In Love At the Wrong Side of Time

by LadyElocin



Category: One Piece
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Bad Decisions, Break Up, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Moving On, Pain, Regrets, Suffering, taken for granted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 06:45:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11618160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyElocin/pseuds/LadyElocin
Summary: AU. Zoro is head over heels with Sanji, but the blond fails to appreciate his worth and takes him for granted. His pain and suffering are becoming too much. And after three long years of being with the blond, Zoro finally decides.





	When We Fell In Love At the Wrong Side of Time

**This is a very angst-y AU ZoSan fic. Warning for foul and explicit use of language.**

**This one-shot was also uploaded in Fanfiction.net.**

**No lemons, just onions.**

**Inspired by Darksinokaru's[I'm Sorry I Broke Your Heart. Will You Forgive Me?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3735250/chapters/8279017) :)**

* * *

 

_"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."_

_\- Dr. Seuss_

 

* * *

 

Zoro had enough.

 

He and Sanji had been in a relationship for three years—if ever one could even call the _shit_ between them a relationship.

 

He’d been in love with the blond since that time he entered the Baratie for dinner. He was captivated by the blond’s good looks, his rich blue eye that could melt his very core, those blond strands that felt like silk between his fingers and that unnatural curly eyebrow that weirdly suited him although Zoro would never admit that to the blond.

 

Zoro’s eyes trailed along Sanji’s footsteps, taking in every elegant flex of those sexy, lean muscles regretfully hidden under a black suit as the blond expertly carried a round tray with his left hand and talked to the guests with a warm smile on his lips that almost made Zoro drool out the sake he was drinking.

 

Sanji was _perfect_. He had the looks, the status, the money, a good adoptive parent, and a single beckon of that slender finger could make any woman begging for his attention.

 

Except that Sanji was an asshole boyfriend.

 

Zoro was incredibly ecstatic when Sanji chose him over those flashy women around him. He thought that being with the person he yearned for would make him happy, but boy was he wrong.

 

The blond _used_ him as a tool for his sexual frustration. Sanji was a ladies’ man through and through and he said that he would never do such fucking outrageous acts on any woman. So he vented out on Zoro. The green-haired man had never submitted himself to anyone the same way he had submitted himself to Sanji, even in his past relationships, he was the one to dominate the other when it came to sex.

 

But Zoro loved the blond very much, so much so that he was willing to take the blond’s painful kinks and violent acts. Sanji had been harsh on him, especially so every time he was dumped by a woman. Zoro never fought back, because he was afraid that the blond’s severe mood swings might get the better of him and made him dump Zoro in a blink of an eye.

 

However, this time, it was different. Zoro touched the bruising green and purple on his right jaw, wincing as the pressure of his fingers got too much. His ass cheeks were still hurting from where Sanji had spank him so hard repeatedly to the point that the skin turned red and painful. They hurt so fucking bad and Zoro couldn’t actually sit comfortably for _days._ His old bruises and scratches were thankfully fading, unnoticeable to other people if they wouldn’t look too closely.

 

“That bastard,” Zoro growled lowly as he stared at his bruised self in front of the bathroom mirror. Sanji had kicked him in the jaw when he was ten minutes late for their late-night rendezvous in the blond’s penthouse tonight. The blond shouted at him angrily, showering him with painful kicks and practically throwing his ass out of the door, telling him that he was no longer in the mood and it was all Zoro’s _fault._

 

What the fuck.

 

Zoro’s hands gripped the edge of the sink tightly and looked at himself on the mirror, his eyebrows furrowed deeply and his eyes burning with rage and newfound determination. He would do it. Finally fucking do it.

 

He would break up with Sanji tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

Zoro wasn’t able to sleep properly last night. His thoughts were jumbled with the things that Sanji would say or with the things he would do to Zoro if the blond would result to physically assaulting him. However, Zoro would fight back this time.

 

The man took a cab towards Sanji’s penthouse to make it easier and faster. He had to end this as soon as possible. When he was in front of Sanji’s door, he pushed the doorbell beside the doorframe. He heard light thuds of footsteps from the other side and after a while, a still sleepy blond greeted him, Sanji wearing his pajamas and his hair disheveled from sleep.

 

The blond’s reaction instantly turned sour at the sight of him. “What the fuck do you want? It’s freaking _four_ in the morning and I had to go to the Baratie early today—”

 

“I know. It’ll be fast, I promise.” Without another word, the green-haired man pushed through the door, shoving Sanji aside which earned him a long train of curses from the man.

 

“Oi! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Sanji stomped his way towards Zoro who was standing inside the living room with a blank expression on his face.

 

“What, are you here to say sorry for being a bastard last night?” Sanji challenged him with an arrogant smirk.

 

Zoro looked at him and uttered plainly, “Let’s break up.”

 

The haughty smirk on the blond’s face vanished. He was frozen on the spot, looking at Zoro with wide blue right eye. After a few moments, the blond let out a loud laugh, his shaky voice echoing against the walls of the living room, and his hands were gripping his stomach as he coiled forward to support himself.

 

But Zoro was just looking at him, that blank expression still on his face. When the blond’s laughter died down, he straightened up and wiped the stupid tears around his eyes. “What kind of joke is that, idiot marimo? Ah, shit, that was good.” Sanji put a hand behind his neck and stretched the rigid muscles as if his whole body strained because of that burst of laughter.

 

“I’m breaking up with you,” Zoro said, his face pulling down into a frown. “I don’t want to be involved with you or even _see_ you anymore. I’ve had enough of your stupid fuckingtantrums and affairs. You treated me like an animal and made my life hell, you asshole. I’m breaking things off.”

 

Zoro made his way out of the living room but something flashed in his vision. The blond stopped him on his tracks by placing his right leg against the wall, his stupidly powerful kick leaving a dent under his sole.

 

The blond turned his head towards him slowly and Zoro could see the rage in that blue eye. “ _What_ did you say?”

 

“You’re not the only one who can call things off when you want to,” Zoro replied.

 

The blond snarled at that, pulling his leg from the wall and standing in front of Zoro. “How dare you break up with me, you filthy shit!” Sanji pointed at him an accusing finger. “You can’t call things off without my permission!”

 

A vein throbbed dangerously againstZoro’s temple. This fucking bastard. “You can no longer tell me what to do, you arrogant asshole. I’m done with you.” Zoro shoved against the blond’s shoulder forcefully which made Sanji hit the wall.

 

“You fucking—” Before the blond finished his sentence, he instantly lifted up his right leg and aimed for the marimo’s head. However, to his surprise, Zoro was able to duck perfectly and before he could even regain his balance, the blond was harshly shoved against the wall, knocking the air out of his lungs. A hand clutched around the blond’s throat, lifting him up against the wall, pinning him hard to immobilize his legs, and suffocating him until he struggled for breath. “W-What the…?”

 

The blond gripped Zoro’s wrist and tried to tear his grip from his throat but the man was surprisingly strong. Had Zoro ever been this strong? He thought that the man was just a lump of huge muscles but with no power at all. Zoro was stupidly in love with him, that much he knew, and the marimo acted like a dog around him, always following him around and obediently doing whatever he said.

 

“Enough,” Zoro growled under his breath, his wild gray eyes piercing against Sanji’s blue one. “I’m sick of your bullshit.”

 

“Z-Zoro… I can’t…” The blond gasped for breath. He could see black at the edge of his vision.

 

“Don’t fucking bother me anymore. I’m done.” Zoro released his vice-like grip around the blond’s throat. Sanji fell on his knees, touching his neck as he coughed for air. His lungs were burning and he had never felt so desperate for air in his entire life.

 

He heard Zoro’s footsteps fading away. The blond’s eyes instantly widened. _The bastard’s leaving_ , he said inside his mind as panic began to kick in. _He can’t leave!_

Sanji scrambled to his feet and darted towards the marimo. “You bastard!” Sanji threw a kick to the man’s direction, but Zoro quickly dodged the attack and punched Sanji hard in the face. The blond saw stars for a moment as his body hit the floor with a loud thud, and Sanji could swear that he heard a _crack_ somewhere on his jaw.

 

Zoro looked at him with an angry frown, his eyes almost gleaming darkly with rage. “Don’t _ever_ come near me again. You’re _sick_.” At that, Zoro turned around and slammed the door shut, letting his words hang thickly around Sanji and leaving the blond speechless as he stared agape at the door, his right hand touching his bruised jaw.

 

What the fuck did just happened? Sanji was supposed to peacefully wake up this morning, make himself a luxurious breakfast, head towards the Baratie and later on receive a text or call of apology from the marimo. It was always like that. Zoro was always the one who apologized first. And it _should_ remain like that. Except that the man was no longer there, or anywhere for that matter.

 

Did Zoro really break up with him? That _brute_ , of all people? Where did he get the guts to break up with someone like Sanji? Zoro was fucking _lucky_ to have him! Sanji had men and women around him begging for his attention, and that green-haired bastard with his ungrateful ass had the balls to call things off with him? Just what the hell was that?

 

No. It wouldn’t. Things wouldn’t end up this way. If things were to end, then _he_ was the one who should break up with Zoro. His pride just wouldn’t let the other man had his way with him. Never in a million years.

 

* * *

 

It was still afternoon but Zoro was already drowning himself with liquor inside an underground bar in downtown. It was what he needed right now. His heart ached for a moment when he saw how shocked and flustered the blond was. But his anger overwhelmed his entire being and he just ended up trying to crush the blond’s neck and punching him hard in the face.

 

The reality of what he had done had finally began to set in. He shouldn’t be afraid. He was the one who called things off. He should never regret a rightful decision.

 

“Hey, you with someone?”

 

Zoro noticed someone occupy the vacant seat beside him on the bar counter. Zoro looked at him from head to toe—the man was dressed in a black and yellow hoodie, ragged pants and old sneakers. The man’s skin was tan but a few shades lighter than his. His black hair was tousled and his goatee and sideburns highlighted his angular jaw and good facial features. “Care to have a drink?” the man offered.

 

“Whatever.” Zoro drank straight from the bottle of his beer.

 

“I’m Law. You?”

 

Zoro released the bottle with a satisfying pop. “Zoro.”

 

“Are you heartbroken or something?” Law asked as he sipped his beer mug.

 

Zoro flashed him a glare. “Not your damn business. Shove off.”

 

Law laughed at his snarky remark and looked at him with interested eyes. “I like you, Zoro- _ya_.” There was a suspiciously nasty purr at that last word, and Zoro almost blushed at the man’s words.

 

“Stop saying those stupid things. Just leave me alone.”

 

Law propped his elbow on top of the bar counter, his chin resting on his palm as his body leaned closer to Zoro’s personal space. “What about you date me then? So that you can forget whoever the ungrateful asshole was.”

 

Oh Sanji was indeed an asshole alright. The offer was almost too tempting. Zoro had to move on. But he wasn’t the kind to just date a stranger he just met at an underground bar. “Are you nuts? I don’t even know you.”

 

“That’s true.” Law smiled at him. “Then give me two months for us to get to know each other. And _then_ you decide if you want me to shove off.”

 

Zoro stared at the man seriously, lookingfor any form of deviousness, but the man just continued to smile at him. He finally sighed in defeat. “Fine.” Zoro turned his body to the man as he flashed him a silly grin, lifting his empty beer bottle and playfully swinging it in the air. “But you’re buying me booze.”

 

Law’s eyes widened for a second as he later on released an amused grin. “Fair enough.”

 

* * *

 

Sanji was in an extremely foul mood the whole morning, or perhaps the whole day. His knife hit the chopping board with extra force that made the things on the stainless counter rattle.

 

“God, Sanji, what happened to your ugly face?” It was Carne who asked. The guy had just stepped inside the kitchen for his shift and the first thing that he had noticed was the gauze on Sanji’s face which tried to hide the big purple, green and brown bruise along his right jaw but it was just too big that the edge was visible around the white material.

 

“Shut up, bastard,” he glared at him. He tried to call Zoro for _so_ many times but all just went straight to voice mail. He was late for fifteen minutes for his shift thanks to that.

 

“He said he fell from the stairs,” said Patty with a mocking grin on his face.

 

“Heh,” Carne sneered as he pushed his white sleeves to his elbows and started to knead the dough. “So where’s your lover boy? He frequently drops by for breakfast and sniffs around you all the time.”

 

Sanji’s frown deepened, raising his irritation to another level. “I don’t know where he is and I don’t fucking _care_ , got it?!” Sanji stomped away to go to the staff’s bathroom. On his way there, he saw Zeff emerged from the Fire Exit, his peg leg tapping on the tiled floor.

 

“Why were you there?” Sanji asked his old man.

 

Zeff huffed and caressed his weirdly long braided mustache thoughtfully. “I kicked out the remaining chefs. They were all shitty anyway.” Perhaps the chefs tried to raise a protest about it and Zeff resulted to literally kicking their asses out. So it would just be Zeff, him, Patty and Carne starting now, huh? It brought back that memory when the Baratie was in its first few months. The four of them were the first ones to witness the Baratie’s growing years anyway.

 

“So what happened to your face, little Eggplant?”

 

Sanji rolled his eye, shoving his hands to the confines of his pants’ pockets. “Not that again. I fell down the stairs, okay? Stop bothering me.” The blond walked past Zeff, but after a few steps away, the old man turned, crossing his arms on his chest as he looked at Sanji.

 

“Your hands?”

 

Sanji stopped on his tracks. Of course the old man would be worried about that. So he just pulled his slender hands out of his pockets and raised them low in the air just for the man to see them perfectly. “Fine, happy?” he said without turning around.

 

When Zeff let out an approving grunt, Sanji looked at him over his shoulder. “Did you take your meds?” The old man didn’t respond, which made Sanji turned around fully to give this stubborn old man a deathly glare. “You better take them or I’ll shove them down your throat, shitty geezer.”

 

“Tch.” Zeff turned away. “Don’t disgust me with your worrying ass, little brat. I’m taking those repulsive tablets.”

 

“You’d better,” Sanji said threateningly but Zeff just shrugged it off as he walked away from Sanji. The blond watched his foster father made his way towards the kitchen.

 

That stubborn old man shouldn’t be working at all right now. He was getting old and he needed rest, but when Sanji tried to talk to him about it, he was kicked so hard in the ribs alright. The geezer said that Sanji was a million years too early to lecture him and that he would live another hundred years just to kick Sanji’s useless ass. Sanji understood, because cooking was the old man’s great passion and the Baratie was his dream. However, Sanji was still worried about him, though he didn’t admit it loudly.

 

Sanji’s mind wandered to the nasty events that happened this morning. A frown settled on his features. He wouldn’t let that bastard marimo get away with it.

 

After his shift, Sanji immediately got on his car and drove to Zoro’s small apartment. However, the swordsman athlete wasn’t there. He called him again but it went straight again to voice mail. He knocked, but no one answered. He was tempted to kick the fucking door down but he debated about it. “Shit!” Sanji kicked the nearby trashcan in frustration which clattered on the cemented floor and spilled out its contents.

 

Why the fuck was he the one looking for the marimo? The bastard should be the one saying sorry for saying those things to him and for hitting him, for god’s sake!

 

Then something struck him. _He must be there_ , he thought. The blond ran to his car, powering the engine immediately as he drove to Zoro’s training centre. Of course the brute would be there! It was eight in the evening in a weekday so the marimo would be training himself to death.

 

Sanji parked his car on the parking lot across the slightly old three-storey building. The blond jogged across the road and towards the open gates of the training centre. It wasn’t long when he spotted Zoro, the marimo was walking out of the door wearing his fitted black shirt and baggy shorts, a towel was draped on his right shoulder and he looked tired and sweaty.

 

It was a normal sight for Sanji… until a certain man who was leaning earlier beside the glass door instantly straightened on his feet when Zoro came out and gave him a bottle of water, which the marimo gladly accepted!

 

Sanji’s eyebrows furrowed in irritation and something inside him told him that the man was up to no good. The blond put his hands inside his pants’ pocket and walked towards the two men casually. When he was a few feet away, Zoro turned his head in his direction, that stupid grin on his face fading when he saw the blond walking towards him.

 

Sanji saw tension in Zoro’s shoulder, his face pulling down into a frown as he glared at Sanji. “Why the fuck are you here?” Zoro snarled.

 

The man’s glare landed on the gauze on Sanji’s jaw for a moment and the blond almost shamefully walk out of embarrassment. But he held his ground. He and Zoro had a lot of talking to do.

 

“I need to talk to your ungrateful ass,” Sanji declared, tipping his chin up to establish who was in authority here.

 

“Ungrateful?” Zoro muttered in surprise before his face twitched in rage. “Just get fucking lost! I’m done with you, Cook!”

 

“No!” Sanji shouted back. “I need to talk to you, dammit!”

 

“Okay, maybe you should both calm down.”

 

Sanji glared at the man beside Zoro. “Who the fuck are you?” he snarled.

 

“Don’t talk to Law like that,” Zoro warned him, and Sanji almost laugh because of that stupid display of affection.

 

“What, he’s your new guy now?” Sanji uttered in a mocking tone. “That was fucking fast, Marimo. I never thought of you to be someone unfaithful.” The blond felt a painful clench inside his chest. Did this marimo just cheat on him? With this ugly fag of all people? Was that the reason why he broke up with him?

 

“You don’t have the right to lecture me about unfaithfulness, asshole,” Zoro spat the words with venom.

 

Sanji laughed humorlessly. “Are you fucking with him?” Sanji pointed at Law, whose eyebrow twitched because of his words. “Is this guy better than me and make you moan like a bitch?”

 

Sanji saw a flash in front of him, and the wind in his throat got knocked out as his body flew a few feet away and landed hard on the cemented ground. His stomach fucking hurt that Sanji bent like a coil and almost threw his dinner out.

 

“That’s enough, Zoro-ya,” Law said and grabbed Zoro’s shoulder to stop the man from walking towards the blond and beating him into a pulp.

 

“That. Fucking. Bastard,” Zoro growled in a low dangerous tone. Law saw pure rage in Zoro’s eyes and it almost made him like a wild animal.

 

“Just don’t mind him. Let’s go.” Law pulled Zoro’s arm and guided him towards the gates. But the man stopped in front of the blond guy who must be Zoro’s ex.

 

“Don’t come near me,” Zoro snarled at the blond man who was sitting on the ground, embracing his stomach with a painful wince on his face. “Don’t you _ever_ fucking go _near_ me again or I swear I will kill you.”

 

With that, both man walked away, and Sanji could only stare at Zoro’s retreating form, his broad back that was once flushed and arching against his chest, that tan skin burning in heat under his palms, and those gray eyes that once stared at his own with love, understanding and compassion.

 

Those things would never be his anymore. And the harsh reality began to dawn at last on Sanji. His chest engulfed in an excruciating pain, scattering all over his body and burning his insides. His throat hurt so much as if it was on fire, springing unwanted heat and tears on the blond’s eyes.

 

He had screwed up. Again. Everything in his life was _bullshit_. Even _him_ was bullshit–a huge lump of failure hiding underneath that fake arrogance.

 

A groan came out of his mouth as his vision started to blur. He sat there for what felt like hours before he found the strength to get up on his feet again, limping towards his car on the parking lot.

 

He sat inside the vehicle for a moment, staring off into distance. He needed a drink. No. He needed _tons_ of booze and _packs_ of cigarette until his senses numbed out and killed the painful clench inside his chest.

 

At 10:23 PM, on a Thursday evening, the blond finally understood.

 

He had lost Zoro forever.

 

* * *

 

It had been two months since Zoro and Sanji’s embarrassing encounter in the training centre, and it had also been two months since the man saw the blond.

 

Sanji had never called him again since then. And it was for the better. His last calls were pathetic voice mails from that day, spouting insults to the man and saying that they needed to fucking talk. Zoro erased the blond’s phone number from his contacts, thankful for once in his life that he wasn’t the type to memorize his lover’s number. After hesitating and self-debating about it for a few days, the man finally decided to get rid of all the things related to the blond–his pictures, messages, gifts, chat messages and even e-mails. He never set foot in the Baratie again, not even once, even if he was craving the delicious drink from their bar counter. He also moved out from his old apartment and found a new one a few blocks away from his training centre.

 

He would move on. He would forget about that damn asshole. In one way or another.

 

Law had been very supportive and understanding to him. After the two-month leeway that Law had requested to get to know each other, they had been considerably close since Zoro’s fucked up moment with the blond that day. He started to like the man, who was a doctor in a huge hospital at the far side of the town.

 

After a month, Zoro was sure that they had a ‘thing’ now, considering the number of times they had kissed and dated. In just three months, Law had treated him significantly _better_ than his whole fucking _three years_ with the blond. He felt loved. Prioritized. And little by little, his wounds began to heal and his feelings for Sanji gradually slipped through his fingers.

 

Law and him had sex the night before Zoro’s flight. He was going abroad for his training. The sports complex that was owned by Mihawk–the world champion in the international sword fighting competition–had sent an invitation to their training centre, saying that it would accommodate one representative athlete to train under the world’s greatest swordsman. Being the best in his team, Zoro was chosen to train under Mihawk. He wouldn’t let an opportunity like that to pass by, so he instantly grabbed the chance for the sake of his dream of becoming the greatest.

 

His seven months abroad was difficult, but thanks to Law who was frequently video chatting with him on Skype, he had adjusted and rehabilitated to his new life. The training had been harsh and extremely tiresome, but Zoro endured them all and he knew that he definitely grew stronger.

 

Law picked him up from the airport on his arrival. The tall man flashed him a warm smile and instantly hugged and kissed him the moment he stepped out of the arrival area. “I fucking missed you, Zoro-ya.”

 

Zoro chuckled. “Yeah, me too.”

 

“Congratulations on winning that tournament.”

 

“You already congratulated me about that,” Zoro laughed.

 

“Yeah, I did. But I wanna tell it to you in person,” Law said, smiling as he helped Zoro with his bags and luggage.

 

“Well, thanks,” Zoro replied as a light blush crawled on his cheeks. He competed in the tournament that was held in the sports complex. Mihawk said that he would like to see the improvement from his athletes after seven months of training. The tournament was covered in several international TV stations, and Zoro instantly got an offer from the national team after his giant success.

 

“Let’s have dinner, yeah?” Zoro offered Law as the man helped him move his belongings inside his apartment.

 

“Sorry, but I need to rush to the hospital. It’s an emergency,” Law declined.

 

Zoro felt a bit disappointed, but he understood. “Okay. I’ll call you later.”

 

“Okay.” Law gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before going out of the door and turning on his car’s engine. An hour after Law left and of setting his things in place, Zoro decided to visit to his old training centre to kill some time. He jogged his way there. It was Saturday, a weekend, so the training centre was occupied by only a few people. Two of his old teammates were currently hitting the gym when he arrived, their faces lighting up with joy when they saw Zoro. They congratulated the man and even teased him to treat them to dinner.

 

A few hours later, Zoro decided to call it a night. It was nine in the evening when he walked out of the training centre. Zoro pushed his hands inside his gray hoodie to hide them from the cold wind outside. It was almost winter, so it was basically getting really cold everywhere.

 

Zoro was on the last step of the stairs when he saw a figure across the road. The man was wearing a thick brown trench coat, black beanie, dark boots and a red scarf around his chest.

 

Zoro didn’t know if he was seeing things, but his heart sped up when he caught a glimpse of blond hair peeping from the rim of the black beanie. They locked eyes for a second, but before Zoro could clearly see who the other man was or even call out to him, the man immediately turn on his heels and ran away.

 

His instincts told him to shout ‘Wait!’ If he was wrong and call out on a stranger out of nowhere, then it would be very embarrassing. But if his instinct was correct, if the other man was who he expected him to be, then what was he supposed to say?

 

Zoro decided to let it go. Maybe the man was waiting for someone, or just a passerby and he had assumed wrongly. Yeah, maybe that was the case.

 

Three weeks later, as he was watching a sword competition on his television in his apartment, Zoro’s phone rang. He cursed silently for the inconvenience, the fight was only starting to get really good. He handed the remote and lowered the volume of the TV as he snatched his phone from the coffee table, his eyebrow rising at the unknown caller flashed on his screen.

 

He swiped the answer button and put his phone against his ear. “Hello?”

 

There was silence at the other end of the line for ten seconds. Zoro’s eyebrows furrowed and then looked at his phone confusedly. The call was still on, but why was the bastard not answering? He put the phone back against his ear. “Hello? Who’s this?”

 

Zoro waited impatiently for five seconds before a deep, raspy voice sounded against his ear. _“I… Uh…”_

 

“Is this a prank?” Zoro said irritatedly.

 

Zoro heard a light shuffle from the other side. _“Uh, no. It’s… it’s me.”_

 

Zoro thought for a moment, thinking for a long list of people who would call him with an unknown number. Was this Usopp? The guy always changed his number, so maybe this guy was him. But something deep inside him told him that his assumption was wrong.

 

The swordsman’s eyes widened at the sudden realization, his jaw slackening in shock. His heart hammered against his chest as his throat suddenly felt dry when he spoke out the words. “S-Sanji? Is this Sanji?”

 

The man heard a low chuckle from the caller. _“So you don’t call me ‘Cook’ anymore.”_ It wasn’t a question. It was a statement–a statement with a fair amount of certainty in it, and it almost rob Zoro’s breath out of his lungs.

 

“Why… why are you calling me?” Zoro felt a mixture of nervousness and annoyance inside him. He was nervous after hearing from the blond for a long time. He didn’t recognize Sanji’s voice. The blond’s voice was deep and with that rich tone in it, not this one that was low and raspy like he had wrung his own neck.

 

 _“I, uh…”_ Zoro noted a moment of hesitation from the blond. He heard a heavy sigh from the other side. _“Can… can you meet me now?”_

Zoro’s heart did a painful flip inside his chest. What the fuck was this man talking about? Did he get dump again by a woman? Would he ask him to be his goddamn sex partner again to relieve his frustrations? Zoro’s face pulled down into a frown at the thought. “I can’t. I have a boyfriend now. I can’t see you.”

 

A moment of silence dawned between them, and the lack of loud beeping sounds was the one that kept Zoro from thinking that the blond had already hung up. After for what seemed to be thirty long seconds, he heard another light shuffle of clothes from his phone and then the blond spoke.

 

 _“Of course.”_ Sanji paused for a second. _“Sorry for the bother.”_

If Sanji calling him now was strange enough, then Zoro would probably be hyperventilating in shock when he heard the man said ‘Sorry’ for the first time. His heart filled up with worry and curiosity. What the hell was happening?

 

“It’s… okay,” he answered. He had to be mature about this. The blond had been incredibly selfish and childish in the past, but the man was being rational for once, so he also had to handle this like an adult.

 

 _“Bye.”_ Before Zoro could respond, the line already cut off. The swordsman stared at his phone, that unknown number still displayed on his screen. Why did the blond want to meet with him? Was he alright?

 

Zoro grunted in frustration as he let his head fall back on the back of the couch. His hand went over his eyes, shielding it from the light of the TV and massaging the nerves on top of his eyebrows. He could feel a headache coming. Just talking to the blond made him feel unusually exhausted.

 

Heck, he didn’t have to worry about Sanji. The man was an extremely proud jerk, and he had been a living witness to that for three years. Zoro should mind his own business, he had nothing to say to that bastard.

 

* * *

 

Three days later, Zoro was awakened by a loud knock on his door. He glanced at the clock placed on his bedside table. It was fucking six in the morning! Who would visit him so goddamn early? Was it Luffy? The guy knew no restrictions in first place. But he would at least call him before dropping by.

 

Zoro stood up from his bed with an irritated huff, snatching the first pair of jeans and plain white shirt he could see and drowsily wriggling himself in it. Zoro walked towards the living room with a yawn. When he opened his door, he was greeted with a familiar face that he had seen so many times before, but it wasn’t exactly the face that he would imagine knocking on his doorstep. They weren’t close in the first place, but they had talked and shared a couple of drinks in the past.

 

“Patty?” he said in surprise.

 

The bulky man shifted his weight uncomfortably. “Yow, dude. Sorry for waking you up.”

 

Zoro shook his head. “Nah, it’s alright. What is it?”

 

The swordsman saw the conflict on the man’s face. His eyes looking on his feet, his eyebrows furrowing and his teeth nervously biting the inside of his lower lip. “I, uh, you see… that bastard Sanji didn’t want anyone to tell you, but I think that… you should know.” Patty finally decided to look at him, but when he did, Zoro saw a flicker of sad emotion in his eyes that almost made the swordsman’s balance tip off a bit. “He’s in the hospital right now.”

 

Zoro felt his world banged against his feet for a second. “W-Wha…?” he stammered out.

 

Patty swallowed and looked away for a moment. “The bastard tried to kill himself.”

 

“What?!” Zoro exclaimed in horror. “Why…? Why would he…?”

 

Patty let out a tired sigh and rubbed his temple. “Sanji was a wreck. He tried to put an end to all of the shit in his life, slitting his wrist like that. Luckily I went to visit him that day. The brat was lying on his bedroom floor, bathing in that huge pool of blood. I freaked out. I called an ambulance as I tried to stop the bleeding, but the bastard was deathly _pale_ I was so scared that he was _dead_.”

 

Zoro felt his chest hammered painfully against his chest. “Where is he?”

 

“At the local hospital. I’ll take you there.”

 

Zoro nodded. “Give me a sec.” The man immediately ran inside his bedroom, snatching the first thick jacket and boots he could see and shoving his wallet and keys on his back pocket. He didn’t bother to groom himself anymore. Adrenaline was pumping in his system right now as he yearned to see the blond. He was so worried that he could almost throw up.

 

Patty drove Zoro towards the local hospital where Sanji was admitted. Every passing second felt like fucking _hours_ as he fidgeted on the hem of his jacket. When the engine died, Zoro almost threw himself out of the door and immediately ran towards the reception area of the hospital. He didn’t even bother to look back at Patty who shouted his name.

 

“Is there a patient here named ‘Sanji’? I’m his friend.” Zoro asked the receptionist behind the table.

 

“Wait a second, sir.” The woman typed something on her computer. “Yes, Mr. Sanji is at Room 507.”

 

Zoro didn’t bother to thank the receptionist as he sprung on his feet towards the stairs. He couldn’t afford to wait for the elevator to go down. He needed to see Sanji _now_ , or else he was gonna burn this whole place down.

 

Zoro cursed at the long stretches of hallways on the fifth floor. Why was there a fucking maze inside a hospital? After two minutes of cursing and running, he was finally able to find Sanji’s room.

 

He stood in front of the door, giving out heavy pants of air. His hand gripped the knob tightly, and with a shuddering breath, he finally pushed the door open. He was greeted with a small white room, just a single bed placed against the corner of the opposite wall.

 

The sound of the life support machine echoed inside the almost empty room. Zoro shut the door silently behind him, his gaze never leaving the unmoving form on the hospital bed. The blond had an oxygen mask on his face, an IV needle buried at the back of his right hand, as the blond’s chest continued to move up and down peacefully.

 

Sanji was pale and thinner. His hair was longer too, the ends curling along the side of his face and neck. The bags under his eyes were dark, and his lips were chapped and almost ashen.

 

A painful clench made Zoro shudder in a staggering breath. “What the hell happened to you?” he said quietly to no one in particular.

 

“He was here for three days now.”

 

Zoro looked at Patty who just entered the room. He offered Zoro a chair which he gladly took. He positioned himself beside the blond, carefully taking in the Sanji’s awful form in front of him. Three days? That day when Sanji called him? Did he call Zoro to say good bye? He should have met with the blond that time. He could’ve have done something to prevent this from happening!

 

Zoro’s hands balled on his thighs. “What the hell happened to him?” Zoro tried to ask plainly but he couldn’t deny the slight crack of voice at the end of his sentence. What the hell happened to the blond while he was away? And where the hell was Zeff?

 

Patty stood beside him, his chef hands carefully tucked inside his pants’ pockets as he stared down on Sanji. “The brat lost a lot of blood, getting his ass into a fucking coma like this. He needed that oxygen mask to help him breathe.” Patty sighed.

 

“You see, the Baratie shut down five months ago.”

 

Zoro whipped his head up to look at him with widened eyes. “What?”

 

“The Baratie had been experiencing a crisis for a long time, so we needed to cut down the staff. But another terrible thing happened. A jealous restaurant competitor hired a famous food critic to publish false reviews about the Baratie. Sanji was so furious. He caused a ruckus in that restaurant and practically beat the owner into a pulp. He got his ass hauled into jail for a week. Zeff was able to pay the unfair amount of fee to free him. It was so fucking expensive and we all thought that the owner was behind that in order to make Sanji suffer more. However, the damage had been done. Almost no one ate at the Baratie anymore. We tried to make promotions and even advertisements but nothing worked. After just a month, the Baratie closed down, leaving Zeff with a huge amount of mortgage. Sanji sold his car and penthouse to compensate, and both he and Zeff rented a small apartment on the other side of the town.”

 

Patty furrowed his eyebrow, and Zoro saw his eyes went a bit glassy. “Three months after that big loss, or roughly a month ago, owner Zeff died.”

 

“What?!” Zoro looked at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. How could that man die? That man who could kick with so much power like the blond?

 

“The owner was old, and he had that condition with his heart, that’s why this brat tried to talk to him about resting and that he should just let Sanji take over the Baratie. But the Baratie was Zeff’s dream, you see. Cooking was his passion and he was just too stubborn about the whole thing.” Patty shifted his weight on his right foot. “This brat blamed himself. He thought that it was his fault that the old man died. That he had put unnecessary stress on the owner’s weak heart when he got himself locked up. Carne and I were abroad for two months because of training. We applied on an international restaurant after the Baratie shut down. We weren’t even able to attend the owner’s private funeral. It was all too much in a short period of time. We lost all connection with Sanji after his old man died. Carne and I were worried sick for this bastard so we decided to immediately come back after the training.”

 

“The next day after our arrival, I went to visit Sanji’s apartment, to check on him if he was doing fine. But, fuck…” Patty took a deep, shuddering breath as he calmed himself down. “His apartment was in _shreds_ , broken bottles of liquor lay on the floor and even his kitchen, his territory, was _wrecked._ And then I found him… with that piece of paper in his bloody hand.”

 

Zoro swallowed for a moment, trying to absorb all the shocking and painful news at once, before he finally found his voice to speak. “What piece of paper?”

 

Patty regarded him carefully, his eyes landing on Zoro’s with a serious stare. “The brat could have written anything. Like a long good bye letter about how terrible his life had been, how much of a jerk he was, or an apology for causing so much trouble. But it was a short note instead. A _plea_ for whoever would find his lifeless body _._ ” Patty swallowed as he struggled for words.

 

“It said: ‘ _Don’t tell Roronoa Zoro.’_ ”

 

Zoro’s world seemed to tilt at its hinges. His heart clenched painfully in his chest, making his whole body tense and his nails bury on his palms painfully. What was Sanji thinking? He wasn’t in good terms with the blond, but no matter how fucking cruel the blond had been to Zoro, he would still care _enough_ to go to Sanji’s side if the blond was on the bridge between life and death.

 

He felt betrayed. _Horrified_. That if it weren’t for Patty, the blond might actually be dead by now and he wouldn’t even know. He would live his fucking life perfectly happy, shutting Sanji out of the picture just like what he wanted, and he wouldn’t have the slightest idea that he wouldn’t even accidentally run into the blond anymore.

 

Because Sanji wouldn’t be _there._ Forever. And the thought terrified him right to his very core.

 

“Sanji’s life was a lie,” Patty said. “He’d never had any control in his life. He was an orphan. He was a homeless brat that Zeff took in when he found Sanji at the back alley of his apartment. The brat had almost died of hunger before Zeff fed him and made himself his foster parent. Sanji grew up following his old man’s aspirations. The Baratie was Zeff’s dream, not his. He fooled himself into thinking that it was his dream too, but his real dream lies on the ocean–he wanted to become a first-class chef in a first-class cruise, sailing all over the world to experience different food cultures. He was never the type to remain in a same place forever, but for his father’s sake, he did.”

 

“Sanji never had any friends or a real relationship. This brat was focused on his work and was an ogler with women, so when he told us that he had a boyfriend, Zeff, Carne and I were awfully shocked. Somehow, we thought that Sanji would finally be happy and settle down but it appears that this stubborn bastard had screwed it up big time.”

 

The attention of both men was disturbed by a light shuffle of fabric. Zoro’s eyes darted towards the blond, and he swore that his heart just dropped when he saw Sanji slowly opening his eyes.

 

“Sanji!” Zoro stood up and hovered over the blond. “Sanji! Can you hear me?”

 

“I’ll call the doctor!” Patty hurriedly ran out of the room.

 

Zoro ran his thumb across Sanji’s soft pale cheek, gently enough to not disturb the oxygen mask on his face. The blond’s half-lidded eyes tried to focus on him.

 

“How are you feeling?” Zoro asked worriedly.

 

The blond’s chapped lips parted a little, and it stayed like that for a few seconds before a quiet and hoarse voice rang in Zoro’s ears. “Z-Zo… ro?”

 

“Yes. It’s me.” Zoro gave Sanji a small smile. “It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.”

 

Patty returned with a doctor and two nurses. The doctor instructed Zoro to stand back as they assessed Sanji’s condition. Zoro watched silently as the medical professionals took Sanji’s vital signs, the nurse writing something on Sanji’s medical record, and the doctor examining Sanji’s breathing with a stethoscope.

 

After a few minutes, the doctor hanged his stethoscope around his neck and turned to look at Patty and Zoro. “The patient was stable now. But he would continue his IV and laboratory tests. And I would have to insist of him wearing the oxygen mask for two more days just to be safe. He had lost a lot of blood and it had definitely affected his breathing. It was fatal, but I’m glad that the patient survives. Please do not let the patient move. He needs to rest.” The doctor gave them a smile. The two men thanked them as the medical professionals leave the room.

 

Zoro immediately took his seat again beside the blond, who was now staring blankly into the ceiling. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

 

The blond’s right eye slowly rolled to the side to look at him. Zoro saw the stress and exhaustion on that beautiful blue eye that was once filled with pride and charm. But now, it was as if all the bliss in that blue orb was drained and left it looking like a dull, lifeless marble.

 

“Why… are you… here?” the blond asked hoarsely.

 

“Sanji, I think you shouldn’t talk. You need to rest,” Patty suggested and Zoro nodded at that.

 

“Pa… tty?”

 

“Yes, shitty brat. It’s me,” Patty said with a smile.

 

“Where’s… Carne?”

 

“Oh, the bastard was back in his apartment. He called me earlier to say that he would just get a couple clothes and then go back here.” Patty tapped Zoro’s shoulder. “I’m getting brunch. Want something?”

 

Zoro shook his head. “Anything will do.” Patty nodded as he glanced at Sanji once again before leaving the room.

 

Without the beeping sound, the whole room was thick with heavy silence. Zoro wasn’t sure what to say to the blond. He had so many questions. So many accusing remarks to the blond but none would just come out. After a few minutes, Sanji was the one who broke the deafening silence.

 

“Who…” the blond struggled. “Who’s… paying the bills?”

 

Zoro was taken aback a bit because of that. “Well, uh…” he began. “I think it’s Patty and Carne. You’re here for three days now. And Patty just told me about you this morning.”

 

Sanji inhaled deeply, feeling the rush of oxygen into his lungs. “The two idiots have their hands full right now. They can’t… continue to… support me like this.”

 

“Then I’ll help,” Zoro offered, his eyes filled with stern decision. “I’ll help with the bills, so don’t worry about it. Just… get well soon.”

 

Sanji stared at the ceiling, his mouth open for the unspoken words hanging behind his tongue. “I’ll…” he spoke. “I’ll pay you back. Not now. But… in a few months. Maybe. But I’ll… definitely will.”

 

Zoro felt his heart ache at the pitiful sight. Sanji had never been this broken. He had never seen the blond this troubled for something that was as trivial as a hospital bill if he thought about the blond’s intimidating display of money a few months ago. Maybe he and Zeff had given everything up to pay the huge mortgage. They were drained to the _bone_ that Sanji was almost hanging by a thread to sustain a living.

 

“Shit, Sanji. Don’t worry about it.” Zoro took Sanji’s thin hand, holding it gently and careful enough to not cause any movement to the IV needle. “I don’t care about the goddamn money. Just get well, okay?”

 

The blond’s eyes flicked to his direction for a moment. “What are you… even doing here? I… left a note.”

 

Zoro’s eyebrow pulled together. “Why don’t you want me to know? Fuck it, Cook! Even though I hated you for being such an asshole to me, I don’t have a heart that _hard_ to not even care about you dying.”

 

Sanji’s eyes fluttered for a moment as a small smile curved his lips. “You called me… ‘ _Cook.’_ ”

 

Zoro swallowed the lump in his throat. Shit. He was getting too emotional at the blond’s words.

 

“Why?” the swordsman asked silently.

 

“Because…” A moment of hesitation flashed across the blond’s eyes. “I don’t… want to cause you trouble anymore. You’re… happy now. Something that I… failed to give you. You deserve… to be happy.”

 

The back of Zoro’s eyes burned, his grip on Sanji’s hand tightening a little. “Don’t… say that.”

 

“I went to your… old training centre,” the blond added. “They told me that… you went abroad to train. I saw your match on TV by the way.” Sanji chuckled. “You were _wonderful._ ”

 

Zoro looked away. He just couldn’t look at Sanji right now, not with those words coming out of his mouth. He could handle a curse, or even a spout of insult like he always did. But _this_. This was different. Zoro was unprepared for it, like he was going into a war without a sword and armor, as the blond’s words shot him like arrows.

 

“I wanted to… go to the airport. To see you arrive. But I didn’t know your… time of arrival. So I decided to… wait outside your apartment,” Sanji confessed. “You were… with Law. So I didn’t have the chance to… talk to you. When he left, I tried to… get myself to knock on your door. But I can’t. Then you went out to train. I followed you. I waited outside the training centre. And when I… finally saw you, the moment we locked our gazes… I got… _scared._ So I ran away like a coward. It was the day after… Zeff’s burial. It was just so… _hard._ And I don’t know where else to go.”

 

A tear fell from Sanji’s eye as he stared at the ceiling. “I called you, because I wanted to see you for the last time. I was afraid for a moment that… you wouldn’t answer. But you did. And even though I wasn’t able to see you...” Sanji’s lips quivered a small, lonely smile. “I was able to… hear your voice again. And that’s enough for me.”

 

Zoro’s other hand hovered over his eyes, wiping off the tears before they even dared to fall. But he failed. Some managed to escape and drop on the floor beneath him. His heart was in an emotional turmoil, like a storm messing up his rationality and just wanted him to give up and cry his heart out.

 

“Don’t cry. Idiot Marimo.” Sanji squeezed the man’s hand softly. “Just go back. Law might be… worried. I can handle this.”

 

“No.” Zoro shook his head as he dried his eyes. “I’ll stay. I’ll stay as long as I want. And you can’t argue with me about it.”

 

Sanji held his gaze, slightly taken aback because of Zoro’s words. After a while, the blond laughed humorlessly. “I should have died,” he uttered. “Until the end, I’ve caused trouble for everyone.”

 

“Don’t say that, Cook.” Zoro frowned at him, gently squeezing his hand to make his point.

 

The blond closed his eyes. “I gave up, you know. I don’t really care about… the money, my status, or connections. They’re all lies anyway. But… when you left, when the Baratie got shut down, when Zeff died…” Sanji trailed for a second before opening his eyes. “It felt like… I’ve lost _everything._ ”

 

Zoro took a deep breath to steady himself. The blond was causing him an emotional havoc, leaving him bare and helpless against this thunderstorm.

 

“My hands are the only ones left… precious to me,” Sanji spoke in a shaking voice. A gasp escaped his lips as the blond’s face streamed with tears. “I really should have... died. I don’t deserve your kindness.”

 

“Sanji…” Zoro held Sanji’s pale hand between his palms, lowering his head until he felt those cold fingers against his forehead. “You haven’t lost everything. I’m here. You have _me._ ”

 

Sanji shook his head. “You left,” he said hoarsely. “And it was my… fault. I thought I would never lose you. I inflicted you with _pain._ Put an invisible leash around you, to make you stay. I’m afraid to lose you. Because for once in my miserable, pathetic life… someone had truly loved me.” Sanji let out a choked gasp as tears fell from his eyes down to the side of his face. “I’ve been such a fool. I tried to suppress it, but when you left… it all exploded inside my chest. I didn’t know what to do.”

 

Sanji turned his head to eye Zoro who was now staring intently at him, his eyebrows knotting together in worry, his eyes tear-stained and his hands holding his gently. “I love you, Zoro. I’ve _always_ fucking loved you.”

 

Zoro let out a shaky gasp as he felt a tear escape from his eye. He looked away to wipe his eyes dry. Why was the cook saying this _now_? After all the trouble he went through just to forget him?

 

As if on cue, some things seemed to snap back in place. He remembered that worried expression on the cook’s face when he went down with a high fever. The blond stayed over his apartment that time, making him porridge and soaking his towel again in a water basin whenever it went dry because of the heat. He recalled those moments when he just sat at the kitchen counter in the blond’s penthouse, watching the man move gracefully around the kitchen, talking to Zoro about a nasty costumer he had that day in the Baratie and all those talks about food and cooking that always made Sanji’s visible eye light up with joy as his soft lips curved into a beautiful smile.

 

Zoro felt that _that_ Sanji was the genuine one. That under that arrogant and prideful façade was a lonely and shackled person, searching for the happiness he had always yearned for and the need to keep his precious persons close.

 

To keep Zoro close.

 

“Just… leave,” the blond said. “Don’t make this harder for me. Please. I _beg_ you.”

 

Zoro held Sanji’s gaze. “I won’t leave,” he said in a determined voice. “I won’t leave you again. Ever.”

 

“Zoro…” The blond’s eyebrows wrinkled as new tears began to form in his eyes. “Please. Just… be happy. You have Law. Just shut me out _again_. Pretend that this never happened. I’ll try to forget you. I won’t try to… kill myself again. So, just… please.”

 

The swordsman’s heart twisted painfully inside his chest when the blond uttered the word ‘ _again_.’ He knew that it wasn’t his fault, that he did nothing wrong and it was the blond to be blamed, but it just wouldn’t work that way for Zoro. He felt guilty for shutting the man out when he was in need. Even if he didn’t know anything about the blond’s pain until now, he pretended not to know that it was the _blond_ who was standing right outside the training centre, and how he ran away at the sight of him. He knew as well that something was amiss when the blond called him with that raspy voice. Sanji must have been crying. Feeling so lost and vulnerable that time. But Zoro shrugged those thoughts off and got himself to remember the blond’s misdeeds towards him to shut him out _again_.

 

He failed to acknowledge the blond’s goodness towards him. He secluded himself with the belief that Sanji was a cruel person for doing bad things to him. He _never_ asked the other man what his problem was, nor had he spared a moment to know the _reason_ behind the blond’s violent actions. That time, he only knew about his own pain, his suffering, and his growing hatred towards the blond.

 

He failed to notice Sanji’s feelings towards him.

 

Zoro released Sanji’s hand. The lost of contact made Sanji’s heart clench painfully and his whole being submerge into emptiness. He thought that Zoro would leave, and it was for the better. But his eyes snapped open when he felt a soft pair of lips settle on his forehead.

 

Zoro pulled back and stared right into him. “I won’t leave.” The man put his hand on Sanji’s cheek, gently caressing the soft pale skin near his ear. “I’ve never forgotten you, Cook. I still love you.”

 

Sanji gasped at the verbal assault, his eyes pooling with tears and his lower lip quivering in a mixture of relief and happiness.

 

Zoro smiled at the blond’s reaction. “I know Law will understand. I’ll talk to him. And if he gets mad, I’ll let him beat me up.” It was incredibly selfish of him, but he really still loved Sanji. He had felt something genuine for Law when they were together, but it would be awfully unfair to the man if he stayed together with him, knowing to himself that he still loved the blond. Law deserved to be happy. He was a very kind man. He helped Zoro move on from his depths of despair. Law didn't deserve a half-assed affection. Zoro knew that staying with Law with this still burning and powerful feeling he had for the blond would just hurt the man even more.

 

“Zoro…” Sanji groaned as he gasps for air and he was thankful for the oxygen mask on his face, because if it weren’t for it, he might actually be dead and choking in his own tears right now.

 

“We made terrible mistakes, Cook,” Zoro uttered silently. “We were selfish with our decisions; we had hurt each other physically and emotionally. We fell in love at a terribly wrong time. But maybe…” The swordsman planted a soft kiss again on the blond’s forehead. “We can start all over again? But this time, we’ll do everything right.”

 

The blond couldn’t say anymore after that as he just nodded like a child and cried himself dry. Zoro was laughing quietly at his stupid reaction but the blond didn’t care. Fuck everything and the world. He only knew that Zoro was here and he _still_ loved him. Zoro came back with a promise that he wouldn’t leave him alone again. And he was alive for the purpose of redeeming himself from the mistakes he had made and for loving Zoro rightfully this time.

 

“Just rest, okay, Cook?” Zoro said as he gently pushed a few blond strands away from the cook’s visible right eye. “I need you to get well, because you will cook for me everything that I want once you’re out here. And I _mean_ it. I’m gonna work you out to the _bone_.” Zoro smiled at him.

 

The blond laughed as the last of his tears fell down from his eyes. The man had a weird way of punishing Sanji, but those simple words made the blond’s insides fluffy and warm. “Idiot Marimo.”

 

The green-haired bastard laughed at the cook’s foul name-calling. His Sanji was finally _back_.

 

“Yeah,” Zoro uttered with a smile on his face. “I love you, too, shitty cook.”

 

_**\- fin -** _


End file.
